Chapter 9: The Lord is Dispensing Gold Coins!

Agreements, like contracts, are subject to magical notarization.

Matthews set an additional interest of 100 gold coins per year, but in reality, it won't even take a year. Romon will clear the remaining balance soon. He feigned a melancholic expression, but in truth, it was just a ruse to create an information gap. Even if the news about the magic crystal mine spreads from Stone Town, it won't be as quick as his actions.

The guild president, Gresla, would never publicize it unless he wanted to create a rival for himself.

The rest were just rumors and speculations. Anyone who dared to spread false information to other lords would find themselves in a very dangerous situation.

As for those who had actually verified the existence of the magic crystal mine, they were already pierced by Talia's arrows. The last survivor had been turned into Romon's slave.

"Pleasure doing business with you, my friend."

After the transfer of the forest's ownership, Romon had no intention of staying any longer.

"I will miss you."

Matthews waved goodbye, watching Romon's carriage gradually disappear. He hurriedly called over his old butler and asked, "Have we received any news about that forest?"

"Just got the latest report, my lord. After the exploration team entered the forest, they found a large number of monsters, especially goblins, which have reached disaster levels. With the goblins' tendency to dig holes, if there were any veins of ore in the forest, they would have already dug them up. But in reality, the forest remains unchanged... Honestly, my lord, ever since the old lord won control of that forest, we haven't sent anyone to manage it. Even if we want to develop it now, it would require an astronomical investment."

"I don't have the money to fund goblin extermination," Matthews said as he walked toward the villa. "Change into casual clothes. Save this new outfit for when we host other lords. Make sure to take good care of it."

...

Two days later.

Romon returned to his territory.

Thanks to Talia, the giant wild boar had not dared to show itself yet.

But that was no concern. It was probably still roaming in the great forest up ahead. Now, however, that forest belonged to the Thune family.

Romon mentally opened the simulator. The territorial blueprint had expanded, and the small, water droplet-shaped land had now included the large forest beside it. The forest area was much larger than the original territory.

"Finally, this land is mine. Now, it's time to take things step by step and upgrade the facilities within the territory."

Taking control of the forest meant the mines beneath it were no longer a mystery—they were 100% his. Furthermore, hunters could now enter to hunt, providing the villagers with a stable supply of meat. They couldn't keep going to Stone Town to buy it. With the villagers' stamina, making the trip back and forth was not only inconvenient but also dangerous.

"Lord Romon, welcome back! I've been guarding this place the whole time, not a single ore was lost!" Talia greeted him.

She came forward as soon as she heard the sound of the carriage, her face beaming with pride.

"Good work, Talia."

No sooner had he spoken than ten burly men stepped forward, one of them carrying a small sack. Romon recognized him as the strongest of the ten and the village hunter, named Hato.

"Lord, this is the money from the sale of the magic crystal ores over the past few days."

Hato was strong but looked ordinary—his eyes were small, his nose was prominent, and his lips were thick.

Romon opened the sack and counted roughly—about eighty gold coins. He had instructed these ten men to sell only a small portion each day, so as to avoid a significant loss in case thieves targeted them.

"Children, these eighty gold coins will be distributed to all the people of the Thune family in my name. After a full year of work, each one of you will receive one gold coin. For now, I will keep them safe for you."

With that, Romon took the sack back.

Hato and the others were utterly shocked upon hearing this, their faces unable to hide their overwhelming joy. As farmers, it would take about ten years to save up a single gold coin, and that was under perfect conditions—favorable weather, no disasters or illness, and no excessive taxes or fees.

If any one of those conditions was missing, it could take ten years to save even a single gold coin!

Yet now, all they had to do was work without overthinking, just keep digging, and after one year, they would each receive a gold coin! What kind of treatment was this? Even the merchants in the city wouldn't be able to match it!

Hato, in his excitement, got the wrong person. He quickly dropped the old man he was holding and rushed to the furnace in the mine, spinning around with his wife and children.

His family would receive three gold coins!

It was their turn for this unexpected fortune.

"What's going on, Dad? What's happening? Let go, I still need to wash the vegetables!"

After calming himself down a bit, Hato turned to announce to the workers at the mine: "The lord is handing out gold coins! As long as we work here for a full year, the lord will give each of us one gold coin!"

"What? Gold coins?!"

"One gold coin? The lord is so generous! I've never heard of anything like this! It's usually the subjects working hard for the lord, but never have we had a lord who takes care of us like this!"

"I want to know, if I'm slow at work, will I still get one gold coin?"

"Well, just work hard, kid. You can't take the lord's money for nothing, or you'll be cursed."

...

By the carriage.

Romon's gaze turned to Nini, the cat-eared maid.

"Go back and change into something more practical. I need you to quickly map out the terrain of the forest—mark anything worth noting."

Nini was an assassin worth 50 gold coins, skilled in her craft. The great forest had not seen human activity for many years, which meant it was likely teeming with monsters, like that giant wild boar. Romon's blueprint could provide an aerial map of the entire forest, but what he needed were some clear geographical landmarks. Perhaps, if they dug a bit more, they might even uncover new treasures.

"Yes, master."

The cat-eared maid gave a slight bow and immediately ran toward the castle halfway up the mountain. As an assassin, she didn't particularly enjoy wearing a maid outfit; she preferred lighter, cooler attire that allowed for quicker, more agile movements.

But having become a slave, there was no room for preference. Whatever her master said, she would do.

"Talia, continue keeping watch."

"Don't worry, my lord."

After giving the instruction, Romon turned his gaze to Lornis. Without exchanging a word, the two of them walked back toward the castle.

The past four days of travel had been long and tiring. Except for a half-day stop at Matthews' estate, the rest of the time had been spent on bumpy roads. Now, Romon just wanted to take a long bath and enjoy a good night's sleep.

"My lord, October is almost here. Tomorrow, we must begin preparing the tribute goods."

Inside the castle.

Steam filled the air in the bathhouse, and Romon sat on the bath stool while Lornis gently scrubbed his back.

"Damned vampires."

Romon cursed. His territory had already shrunk so much, yet the taxes remained unchanged. Without the simulator, failing to pay taxes would mean decapitation—purely a death sentence.

At this point, not paying wasn't an option either. Although the simulator had been activated and the future looked promising, there was still time needed for development. If he missed the tax deadline, the king's royal knights would show up, bringing trouble to his doorstep.

He couldn't fight them, and there was nowhere to run.

"My lord, don't be angry. You now have enough resources to pay the taxes this time."

Lornis moved in front of Romon and knelt gently, using her own way to ease Romon's frustration.

"Yeah... fine, let's pay it. The taxes for the year are worth an entire forest," Romon said, gazing at the steam rising from the bath. "But no one in Stone Town can consume so much magic crystal ore. I'll have to send a shipment of raw crystals to the Imperial Capital. Let that damned vampire deal with it!"

If the market in the Imperial Capital was impacted, the price of magic crystals would drop in other regions. As a result, the selling price of the magic crystal ore would be compressed, and Romon's earnings would be reduced.

That would mean more magic crystal ore would be needed to pay off the remaining balance for the forest.

Though the magic crystal vein was large, after deducting taxes and the cost of purchasing the forest land, only about two-thirds of the total remained.

Magic crystal ore, being a non-renewable resource, would eventually run out, and the territory would fall into another predicament when that happened.

After all, there was no real industry in the territory yet—no technology, no skilled workers, and certainly no culture.

For now, they could only rely on mining to prop up the territory's inflated appearance. Romon gently stroked Lornis' head. What he needed right now was a new and sustainable way to generate income for the territory.

The old resources were nearly exhausted, and now it was all about hoping for a stroke of luck in the great forest.